Secret Pain
by Liviechick101
Summary: Draco Malfoy uncovers a secret about Ginny Weasley. Ginny dicovers there is more to Draco than previously thought. Full Summary inside. Now COMPLETELY AU because HBP IS DUMB.
1. A New Year

Secret Pain

IMPORTANT! READ THIS NOTICE! I combined the first two chapters into one long one because it was one day. DON'T BE CONFUSED. I also re-did the end of it.

Ships: D/G, R/Hr

Summary: You know… the typical fire and ice story line. Hopefully not too typical, in which case this would be completely pointless. Draco Malfoy discovers not all is fun and games with Ginny Weasley and stumbles across a terrible secret which causes him to turn against his fathers wishes. Ginny also discovers a new side to Draco.

Disclaimer: I don't own Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginevra Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Colin Creevey, William "Spike" the Bloody, Angel, Buffy Summers… Heh! Getting carried away… Anyway, I don't own anything from the Harry Potter Series. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling, who is a genius. Unless Draco turns evil and doesn't get together with Ginny. OK, ON WITH THE STORY.

Chapter One- A New Year

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco wondered through the halls of the Hogwarts Express. He wasn't looking for a compartment, he had left Crabbe and Goyle to guard the one he had sat in since first year. No, he was looking for Harry Potter. Ever since Harry had humiliated him in front of everyone else before the Sorting, he had sought sweet revenge.

"Bloody scar head Potter…" He mumbled quietly to himself as he strode purposefully down the corridor.

He peeked through the windows into the compartments until he saw the telltale red hair of a Weasley. Thinking it was Ron, he pulled the door open and walked in and started to say, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, the Weasel, and the Mudblood."

Instead of Ron and the rest of the Dream Team, he saw a lone figure resting on one of the benches, looking out of the window. She was wearing robes that were too big for her and slightly masculine looking. The red Weasley hair was still prominent, but it was a girl. The youngest Weasley, he thought.

The girl eyed the exit, obviously petrified of him. Ginny! He exclaimed mentally, that's her name! The one that practically worshipped the ground Potter walked on. Why was she all alone? Thinking he should protect his image by actually insulting her instead of walking back out to find the Dream Team, he quickly spoke up.

"Ah. The littlest Weasley. Why aren't you with your little scar headed lover? Is he ignoring you? Again?" He said like he was talking to a baby. She looked almost scared enough of him to try and crawl out of the window, instead of facing him. It was puzzling him a little. He hadn't done that many things to her in the past, so why was she so afraid?

"Bugger off, Malfoy." She said, sliding a guarded expression into her face with little difficulty.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Ginny gazed at the scenery passing her by at amazing speeds through the window in the train. She rested her forehead on the cool glass and saw her breath cloud the window pane. She gathered the edge of her hand-me-down robes and wiped the condensation off. Another year, she thought glumly.

She was all alone in her compartment. Her one true friend, Colin Creevey, had gone to see some Hufflepuff acquaintances about some new way of developing film. She didn't mind, she enjoyed the alone time. She had gotten used to it. After her first year, with that whole Chamber of Secrets incident, it was an everyday occurrence when at school. She wasn't sure how everyone knew she had been the one who had opened the Chamber. As accidental as it was, the rumors spread like wildfire. She had been too ashamed to correct any of them back then, and now they were just accepted as true. She understood the sideways glances she got when she walked into the Great Hall. She would have done the same thing if it hadn't been her.

Even though Colin was one of the people who had been petrified, he had been the only one who had asked her what happened. He had become her first, and only, true friend.

She was thinking about this when the door slid open. She turned around, thinking it was Colin. She caught a glimpse of the white-blond hair and her heart almost stopped. She looked at the door, wondering if she could make a quick getaway. He was standing in her only exit.

She looked again. It was Draco Malfoy. The son of the man who had given her Tom's diary in the first place. The son of Satan himself. He seemed disappointed about something. He gazed at her in her old, worn robes. They were an old pair of Ron's, but her parents couldn't afford any new robes.

"Ah. The littlest Weasley. Why aren't you with your little scar headed lover? Is he ignoring you? Again?" She quickly took a deep breath and put a controlled and collected face easily. She had had a lot of practice over the years.

"Bugger off, Malfoy." He looked a little shocked that she had actually said that. She was a little shocked herself.

"No, I don't think I will." He replied, smirking. She had to get him to leave!

"You will or I'll-I'll Bat-Boogey H-Hex you into next week!" She said, stuttering, terrified. He has to leave! She thought.

If he was intimidated at all, he hid it and sat down.

"I'll take my chances. Nice robes. They belong to all of your brothers before you?" He said taking another poke at her.

"Sing me a new one sometime, Ferret." She said, pulling a book out of her knapsack, and beginning to read. She thought if she acted boring enough, he might leave. To her dismay, when she looked up a time later, he was still there. He had gotten a book himself from someplace unknown and was reading it.

"What do you want?" She asked finally. She slipped her book away, preparing to make a quick getaway if necessary.

"What makes you think I need anything from you, Weasley? Red heads aren't usually my type, if you know what I mean." He replied arrogantly. She turned bright red at the implications and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco watched as Ginny pulled out a book and read. He could tell she wanted him to leave, but he wasn't done with her yet. He had taunted her about her robes, and she had brought up the embarrassing ferret memory. So he pulled out a book of his own from within the depths of his designer robes and read.

"What do you want?" She asked, putting away her book.

"What makes you think I need anything from you, Weasley? Red heads aren't usually my type, if you know what I mean." She blushed deeply. He couldn't help but notice how cute she was when she did this. SQUASH THAT THOUGH! He commanded himself. He also noticed that under those big robes, there was a nicely filled out body. Her red hair curled down past her shoulders. Her freckles had faded a little, but were still very noticeable against her pale skin.

The door slid open and Colin Creevey walked in. Ginny looked very relieved. Colin didn't notice him at first.

"Hey, Gin-bean, Ro— Erm…" He wound down slowly, looking from Ginny to Draco.

"Shut the barn door, Mud Blood, you're letting the flies in." Draco said mildly before looking back at his book. He could see Ginny, looking furious at his choice of words, out of the corner of his eye. She spluttered a little before speaking.

"How dare you." She said, glaring at him, "Caputus Amittos!" She said as she pulled out her wand. At her words, he felt his hair vanish, leaving him bald. He barley had time to process this before she dragged at laughing Colin out of the compartment.

"My hair!" Draco croaked miserably.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Ginny sat in the Great Hall, waiting for Malfoy to come in. She was very proud of her hair loss charm. She had always been good at Charms. Colin had told the story to everyone in sight after the incident. She could see others craning their necks towards the Slytherin table, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hairless Malfoy. Despite the fact that it had been she that had cast the spell, it was Colin who was thanked. She didn't mind. She was used to it. Or so she told herself.

She looked down at her plate, which was empty. Dumbledore had yet to give his customary Beginning-of-the-year-speech.

She suddenly thought about how Malfoy must feel. If he does feel, she thought. She had always been the outcast, the one people made fun of. The one people talked about behind her back. She tried to squash any thought that resembled guilt. Despite the Chamber of Secrets, she had always been a compassionate, innocent creature.

The door was flung open, and Malfoy strode in. The whispers increased, adding to her sense of guilt. She saw the unmistakable hint of concealed embarrassment in his beautiful grey eyes. BEAUTIFUL? She thought, mentally berating herself.

"Oh, bugger." She whispered.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked up the stairs towards the Great Hall. He had spent the last hour in the train compartment trying to find a spell that would quickly grow his hair back. It had been unsuccessful. His head felt very cold without anything on it.

At the door to the Hall, he took a deep breath. Flinging his expensive coat on and flipping the hood up, he walked in.

He had always had people whispering at him, mostly in hate. He was used to that. But this new form of amused whispering unnerved him. He had come up with a plan inside the train, while panicking about his hair. He would thank her, for he _always wanted_ his hair to suddenly go POOF! But who would he fool with that?

He completely ignored the stares and whispers. He also ignored a certain redhead, whom he would have liked to murder. He had reached his chair. He took another deep breath. Ok, _Draco, why do you care what they think? You don't. _He told himself mentally. He quickly unbuttoned his coat and shook it off his shoulders. Right as he did this, he felt a rushing wind and his head felt curiously warm. He had his hair back.

It must have had a time limit or something, he thought, relieved. He turned to gloat at the youngest Weasley, and was incredibly shocked at what he saw. She was slipping her wand away, looking thoroughly disgusted with herself. The Great Hall had erupted into excited whispers. He heard snippets of them, but was otherwise completely absorbed by his own thoughts.

Why did Weasley, whom he had never said a kind word to, undo the charm? He glanced towards her a few times during the rest of the meal. She looked completely isolated, barely talking to anyone. He didn't understand it. Weren't Gryffindors supposed to _stick together _and all that crap?

She wore a heavily guarded expression. He could tell, he knew about guarding feelings. He should.

All of his life, he had been taught to hide his feelings, his thoughts, his dreams. His father had taught him, and taught him well. When his mother, who he had loved dearly, died last year, he had barely shown any surprise or sadness, both of which he had been racked with constantly. Draco remembered that day clearly.

FLASHBACK

_Draco was eating breakfast with Crabbe and Goyle, as usual. He wasn't paying attention to Dumbledore or any of the other teachers in the front of the Hall. He was too busy plotting his next move against the Dream Team. Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned, surprised. It was Professor Snape. _

"_Professor." He nodded, showing his respect. He noticed a look of extreme pity upon the potion masters face. "Sir? What's wrong?" He suddenly wanted to back away. He knew something bad had happened. _

"_Come with me, Mr. Malfoy." The professor had said. With growing dread, Draco picked himself off the bench and followed Professor Snape out of the Great Hall. Everything was blurring. _

"_Sir, my mother. My mother is fine?" He was having trouble keeping the panic out of his voice. Snape didn't answer the question. Draco knew then that something had happened to his mother. He had never been a very religious person—not many wizards or witches were—but he found himself praying—begging **someone**—**anyone** who was listening that his mother was fine. In his mind, of course._

"_Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans." The professor said and they made their way up to the principle's office. Draco sat down and was told his mother had died. He had barely nodded and turned around and walked out of the room. He had walked around blindly for days after that. His grades had dropped until his father made a surprise appearance and curbed **that** bad habit._

END FLASHBACK

The memory of those weeks still _almost_ brought tears to his eyes. Almost, of course. He hadn't cried or mourned outwardly in any way. He couldn't… wouldn't.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

She walked out of the Great Hall before anyone else had finished eating. She couldn't bare the disappointed looks from Colin. He had seen her reverse the charm and was upset with her for it. She wanted to yell, "SORRY! BUT I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE RIDICULED." He'd be sorry _then, _but she didn't want him to see her like that. He probably already thought she had lost her mind, everyone else did.

She heard footsteps behind her, but thought nothing of them until a hand touched her shoulder. She almost jumped a foot, grabbed the offending hand and flipped the person over her shoulder. She had taken a self defense course and didn't like to be touched. Ever since the Tom Riddle Incident.

It was Malfoy.

"OUCH! Bloody hell!" He yelped.

"I am so sorry!" She squeaked, helping him up. She then backed up a few steps. He couldn't be trusted. He looked amused.

"I won't bite, you know. Usually..." He said, smirking. She remained a few feet away, knowing all too well that they were alone. He sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I just came to…" He started and puttered off.

"To?" She prodded.

"I came to say thanks." He said quickly. She looked shocked for a moment before hiding it.

"You're welcome." She answered and pushed past him, heading towards the common room, leaving him looking after her.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco Malfoy was utterly bewildered. He had pushed down his pride, and thanked the bloody girl and all she could say was _you're welcome_? He shrugged it off.

She's some kind of strange… he thought to himself. He had heard the rumors about her opening the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, but didn't believe them. A Gryffindor? Yeah right. Obviously the stupidity of the rumors had gone over the bloody house's heads and they believed them and had ostracized the girl. He felt pity for her and shook himself. Pity for a Weasley? No way. He turned and headed to the nearest stairs and walked towards the cold Slytherin dormitories.

He lay in his bed a few hours later. He couldn't get the Weasley girl out of his mind! It was driving him bonkers. There was something tugging at his mind. Something his father had said at the start of his second year. He couldn't put his finger on it. Something about the Muggle-loving Weasleys getting what they deserved. Something particularly about Ginny. She couldn't have opened the Chamber, could she? And his father surely wouldn't have helped… The Chamber was dangerous. No, he tried to convince himself. But it was bothering him. He would owl Lucius in the morning, he finally decided and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

"_Now those Mudblood-loving Weasleys will get what they deserve. Their youngest will bring shame to their family name, I swear to you." Lucius said coldly._

"_Father?" A younger version of Draco asked, "What will become of her?" _

"_Nothing good, I assure you. It serves them right. Mudblood-loving fools." Lucius vanished in a wisp of smoke. The twelve year old Draco wondered through Malfoy Manor. It was empty. _

"_Draco! Help me!" Narcissa Malfoy called to him. He couldn't make out where the voice was coming from. _

"_Mother?" He called out, "Where are you? I can't find you!" Her voice seemed very far away._

"_I can help." A voice whispered. Ginny Weasley was standing beside him. _

"_Please help me! I need to find my mother!" He cried out._

"_But Draco, she's right here!" She said touching his chest, above his heart. As she did this, they appeared in a different room. His mother was sitting on her bed, smiling at him._

"_Come here and look." She beckoned towards him with a thin finger. Ginny lightly pushed him towards her and then disappeared. He crawled onto his mother's lap and she pointed to a window. He looked into it and was shocked at what he saw._

"_Here's what you deserve, bitch. You won't disrespect me again." Lucius said on the other side of the window. He was holding his wand up to another, older, Narcissa. "Crucio!" He yelled. His mother screamed in the window. _

"_Draco! Help me!" She screamed again and again. The Narcissa that was sitting on his side of the window smiled sadly and said, "Lucius, my love, my life, my destiny." The older Narcissa on the other side of the mirror stopped moving. She was dead. He tried to reach her, but the window was solid. He couldn't get to her!_

Draco awoke with a start. He was covered in a cold sweat and was tangled in the sheets. He was breathing heavily, but couldn't seem to get enough air. He ripped the sheets off of him and jumped out of bed. He went into the bathroom and washed his face, scrubbing hard as if he could erase the horrible nightmare. He needed to get out of his room. It was constricting him. He was no longer hyperventilating and was thinking clearer. He headed towards the door.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Ginny was used to nightmares. The plagued her nightly and had ever since the Chamber of Secrets. Everything seemed to remind her of that horrible time. The dreams had gotten better than they had been in her second and third years, but were still very traumatizing. She had just woken up from one and was headed towards the kitchens. She always found a glass of hot cocoa helped her get back to sleep.

She glanced around a corner, looking for Filch or Mrs. Norris. She reached the painting of the fruit and tickled the pear, letting herself in. The house elves were busy at work. She had wondered if they slept at all. One of them which she recognized as Dobby, whom Harry had released.

"Hello, Miss. Hows may Dobby help you? Hot Chocolate for the missus again?" He asked. She came down here often enough that they knew her order.

"Yes. Thank you, Dobby." She said. It was brought to her and she sat down at the table to drink it. It was always perfect temperature and tasted delicious. The door opened again and Ginny turned quickly, surprised. Draco Malfoy walked in, looking even more pale than usual. He didn't even notice her. He walked in and sat down, his head on his hands.

He was dressed in a faded pare of blue jeans. His black tee shirt was stretched tightly over his broad chest. His blonde hair, usually slicked back, was standing up in chaotic spikes, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Nightmare?" Ginny asked softly. For some reason, he didn't seem as frightening now. He started and jerked his head back so fast she almost winced. He sat up straight, gaining that aristocratic look he was known for. She marveled at how he could look almost royal even with his hair poking out in all directions and his eyes soft with sleep.

"No." He answered harshly after a while. His eyes now had a icy and hard look about them, but she could tell he was lying.

"Liar. No need to act all stoic, I'm leaving. Hot cocoa always helps me get back to sleep." She said quickly before exiting the room.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked swiftly through the halls, not even bothering to check for any wondering teachers. His nightmare was the only thing on his mind. He had had some dreams that were this intense before, and in every single one of them, parts of them had become true. Was this one? He asked himself. It couldn't be. His father wouldn't kill his mother… he loved her! Right? But the beginning of it bothered him. It had been the exact conversation between him and his father before the start of his second year. Had Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets? Had Lucius helped? His head was swirling by the time he reached his destination, the kitchens.

He tickled the pear and let himself in the big room. He sat down at the table and lay his head on his arms, closing his eyes.

"Nightmare?" He heard a soft voice ask him. He looked up quickly. It was Ginny. She was dressed in an oversized tee shirt, some pajama pants, and a cloak. Her hair was a mass of fiery red curls. She stared at him curiously.

"No." He answered more harshly than he intended. She rolled her eyes and spoke again.

"Liar." He almost choked. How could she tell he was lying? His mother hadn't even been able to do that! "No need to act all stoic, I'm leaving. Hot cocoa always helps me get back to sleep." She finished before exiting. She had known he was lying. How? He was too tired to comprehend it and decided to take the Weasley's advice and asked the nearest elf for a hot chocolate before heading back to his room.

…………………… …………………….

So you like? R&R PLEASIE WEASEY! Shall I continue?


	2. The Potions Assignment

Secret Pain

Disclaimer: Sigh Alas, Harry Potter does not belong to me.

Here's Chapter Three, Folks! I'm SO, SO, SO, sorry for the wait—and the length. I was on vacation and then I got the flu, and now I have this horrible cold and I can't talk. I missed a week of school, and basically watched TV, slept, or read other G/D fanfics. I found even more really good ones! Wee hee go me! OO THAT RHYMED! Delirious, I tell ya, delirious. Luckily I had my friend Stephanie's Season 5 DVDs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to keep me company. Anyway, on with the story…

* * *

Chapter Three: The Potions Assignment

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked towards the owlry, clutching a piece of parchment in his long aristocratic fingers. It was a letter to his father, which he dutifully wrote once every two weeks. It was his typical letter with news of his good grades and high Slytherin house points. He had decided not to ask his father about his dream, thinking if it was true Lucius would deny it and Crucio him, and if it was false, Lucius would deny it and Crucio him.

_I'll just pump little Weasley for information. She would know about the Chamber of Secrets if she was there_, he thought. There was also the added bonus of pissing the Dream Team off while doing it.

He reached the owlry and stepped carefully over the feather and dropping covered ground. He tied his letter to a tawny colored owl.

"Take this to Father… Lucius Malfoy." He said before the owl took off in a swirl of brown feathers. He picked his way out of the dirty room and went down to eat breakfast.

When he reached the Great Hall, he strode purposefully inside. His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table, searching for the curly red hair of the littlest Weasley. He caught sight of her sitting near the end of the table next to Creevey and across from the Dream Team. She was talking and nodding to something the Mudblood, Granger, had said. She looked extremely relieved. The Creevey boy had a dark look in his eyes. He stood up and said something. Ginny looked down at her plate, ashamedly, her hair creating a wall on the two sides if her face. He continued talking and Draco unconsciously leaned forward to hear what he was saying.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Ginny ate her eggs in silence. Colin was sitting stiffly next to her. He was still mad at her for reversing the hair loss charm on Malfoy yesterday. Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked in and sat down across from her.

"Hey, Ginny." Hermione said. She and Hermione had become pretty close in the years since Hermione had known Ron. They talked almost every day and Hermione had always known and forgiven her about the Incident, but she was really Ron's friend.

"Hey, Mione." She greeted glumly.

"What's the matter, Gin?" She asked. Ginny tilted her head towards Colin.

"He's mad at me."

"Why?"

"Erm… I reversed the hair loss charm on Malfoy yesterday." Ginny replied sullenly.

"Oh, yes I saw. But I have to say you did the right thing. You could have gotten in trouble! And no one deserves to be humiliated, not even Malfoy." Ginny was relieved. Hermione thought the same thing she did! She almost smiled. She turned to look at Colin and saw a deep frown upon his face, something that rarely happened. He looked at her and began to speak.

"Well, I don't think it was the right thing to do. He's _Malfoy_! He's barely human; I doubt he would even care. But that's only part of the reason I'm upset with you, Ginny. You're kind of like Malfoy yourself," He said in one breath, as if he had rehearsed what to say.

Ron and Harry were looking at him as if he was insane. Ginny unconsciously lowered her hair so it blocked her face. He took a deep breath and continued.

"You act like you don't care that everyone else whispers about you. You're so depressed all the time and I don't have time to deal with it. I have a life with problems, too, without having you moping around all the time."

Ginny was getting really mad now. Her family had horrible tempers, and she was no exception. She supposed it was good to feel something besides the cold that usually resided on her soul. She felt red hot now.

She glared and huffed and puffed for a while before realizing it was true. Everything he had said was true. The momentary warmth she had felt vanished, leaving her feeling empty. She didn't know what to say. Hermione began to speak.

"Colin Creevey, how dare you. Ginny does care about your problems, too. She has had a rough time here at school and doesn't need you to make it worse. You can apologize or leave." The bushy-haired girl said. Ginny felt an overwhelming sense of sisterly love for Hermione. Colin gave them both one last look and left the Hall. Harry was glaring at his back as he left the room. Ron got up and made like he was going to beat him to a bloody pulp, but Hermione stopped him, saying he would get in trouble. Ginny felt happy for the first time in a long time. She had never appreciated the three of them more and smiled.

"Thanks guys." She said.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco listened in to what Colin was saying. It was quiet at first, but his voice quickly gained strength.

"Well, I don't think it was the right thing to do. He's _Malfoy_!" Ahh… so the little Weasley had gotten in trouble with his friends because of him.

"He's barely human; I doubt he would even care. But that's only part of the reason I'm upset with you, Ginny. You're kind of like Malfoy yourself." Draco let the comments about him slide. He had not done anything contrary to this image. Now things were heating up.

"You act like you don't care that everyone else whispers about you. You're so depressed all the time and I don't have time to deal with it. I have a life with problems, too, without having you moping around all the time." He didn't know why, but he felt like punching Creevey. To see someone as innocent as Ginny hurt by one of her "friends" made him mad. This feeling wasn't new to him, for he got angry at the Dream Team all the time, but he had never gotten mad because some Gryffindor was told off.

He was sure his father wouldn't be too happy about this.

He saw the anger building up in Ginny's eyes. She spluttered. He almost smiled. Hmmm, would she use a hair loss charm on Creevey or something worse?

Then her eyes filled with a strange emotion. Like she thought he was right. She looked down, her hair falling down again. What was this? Where was the little spitfire from the kitchens?

Granger began to speak. Draco couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could she was telling Creevey off because Ginny looked at her so admiringly and Creevey looked even angrier.

He felt a momentary sense of loneliness. He wished he had friends who would stick up for him. He squashed those thoughts.

Her brother and Potter looked like they wanted to rip Creevey's guts out. Granger put a calming hand on the Weasel's arm. He sat back down, but glared at the door Creevey had just gone out of. Ginny… wait when had he started referring to her as Ginny? He asked himself, shaking his head. Ginny smiled a true, happy, smile. Her eyes twinkled and thanked them.

She looked beautiful to him. He shook himself and started eating again.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Ginny headed towards her first class of the new school year, Potions. She had it with the Ravenclaws. She didn't hate the class like the rest of the Gryffindors did. She respected Snape as a teacher and he didn't take points off of her. He was one of her few favorite teachers. She didn't dare tell Ron that though… he'd think she was insane. Ginny had had a knack for potions since she was little. It was just performing a set of exact tasks and she thought it was easy enough. It was exactly how it seemed, no surprises, no hidden, lurking things.

She reached the Potions room before anyone and walked in.

"Hello, professor." She said to Snape. He had his head down and looked like he was grading papers, but since this was only the first day of school she knew he was just trying to look commanding. He nodded his head at her and looked back down at his desk.

She put her knapsack on the desk she had sat on since her first year and sat down. She unloaded her potions supplies and looked at the board to see what they were to be doing during class. It was a simple enough potion, one she had done for extra credit in her third year. The professor must have looked up and seen her bored look, for he began to speak.

"Those of this class advanced enough will be making a special potion throughout the year with a seventh year partner." He said. Ginny smiled. This would be fun, she thought. Unless she got Ron… that would be horrid! Working with her brother? Ugh. The rest of the class started filing in, chattering loudly. Colin sat a few seats away from her. Ginny ignored him.

"I demand quiet in this classroom. Anyone who talks will lose themselves twenty points." Professor Snape said, his voice instantly taking on a hard quality he only used after class had started. "If any of you have noticed this is a potions class. No foolishness in here. I would expect more from a sixth year class. There is the assignment. It is due at the end of class. Michael Corner, Ginevra Weasley, Cindy Chase, Ben Lockley, and Luna Lovegood, see me after class."

The rest of class went smoothly enough, with few disruptions and point reductions. The class ended, releasing the students to lunch. Ginny slowly cleared her potions materials away, waiting for the professor to speak.

"Hello, Ginny." Luna said softly, scooting next to her. "What is this about?" Luna stared at her with huge eyes. Luna was the outcast of the Ravenclaws, as Ginny was to the Gryffindors. They didn't talk that often, for they didn't see each other except for this class and the occasional "Hi" in the hall, but Ginny felt they shared a bond of sorts.

"I think the more advanced sixth years are going to be working with some seventh years on a potion. I hope I don't get Ron, though luckily it's doubtful he'll be a partner since his grades in this class are pretty low." Ginny replied.

"Oh." Luna said in the mysterious, soft voice of hers.

"Now all of you, even surprisingly you Gryffindors, have some of the highest grades of the sixth years. You and some others from different classes will be working with a seventh year partner to work on an Invisibility potion. I hope you are up to the challenge. Invisibility potions required certain finesse which few posses." His eyes flickered to Ginny. "You will receive the ingredients and procedures when you meet with your partner. This is a mandatory project, and is worth points on your O.W.L.s. You will be spending some time in the seventh year classes. I have already worked this out with the other professors. I chose your partners, and they are as following. Mr. Corner, you will be working with Mr. Zabini. Mr. Lockley will be working with Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley with Ms. Granger, **(AN: You thought it was going to be Draco, huh? I'm not THAT predictable… although it would have made things easier...) **Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Malfoy, and finally Ms. Chase with Ms. Parkinson. That will be all. You will receive more information soon enough. Dismissed."

* * *

And again. Shorter chapter than last time. Sorry! It isn't THAT short though, is it? Review, review, review PLEASE!

It might be a while before I update… makeup work in school. Waaaaa!

Liv


	3. The Meeting

Secret Pain

Disclaimer: Not mine. But I _want_ Draco!

IMPORTANT Author's Notes: **_THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EXPANDED!_** Also: I'm sure you've noticed Lucius Malfoy is NOT in Azkaban. I will address that in this chapter. some minor writers block, here it is… DUH DUH DUH, what you have all been waiting for:

Chapter Three!

Chapter Three: The Meeting

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Hermione, that's not too bad! She thought, cheering up considerably. She felt horrible for those who were paired up with Slytherins, especially Luna, who was paired up with Malfoy. While Hermione was Ron's friend, she had always been like a sister to Ginny. She grabbed her knapsack and went to her next class, Herbology with the Slytherins.

She arrived at one of the Greenhouses where the class was lined up. Professor Sprout hadn't yet arrived.

Ginny eyed Colin to gauge how mad he was at her. He was leaning against a tree looking in a different direction. He looked up and she quickly averted her eyes and turned around so her back was facing him. Professor Sprout walked up and unlocked the Greenhouse before telling them briskly to come in.

"Get into partners and put your gloves on." The class rushed to find a good partner. Ginny looked down at her scuffed shoes. She and Colin had always been partners. She looked over to where he and another Gryffindor were chatting merrily.

"Who doesn't have a partner?" The professor asked the class. Ginny ashamedly raised her hand.

"Mr. Maraticus, only _two _in a group, please. Come over here and work with Ms. Weasley." She said and a Slytherin in her year came forward, a blank expression on his face. Ginny's eyes widened. _Oh, great,_ she thought as the boy walked towards her.

"Hi!" She said as cheerily as she could. The boy, Bradford was his name she remembered, looked at her but said nothing. "Or not…" Ginny quietly mumbled, pulling her dragon-hide gloves on as Sprout explained the assignment.

Finally, Professor Sprout told them to clean up. Ginny was amazed at how easy it was to work with a Slytherin and how much she could get done without saying anything more than "pass the dragon-dung fertilizer." It left her to just think things over. Her mind was unusually clear at the moment, but that surely wouldn't last.

"The people you picked today will be your partners for the rest of the year. Class dismissed."

"Bye, Brad." Ginny said to her partner, not expecting an answer, before picking up her books and heading to lunch.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

Draco watched Ginny by the greenhouse from his perch by the window in his History of Magic class. She and the Creevey boy were standing apart from each other. They went into their classroom, leaving Draco in one of his most boring classes with nothing to watch. Professor Binns was rambling on and on about something or another. Draco looked around the dusty classroom.

His eyes landed on the Golden Trio. The Weasel was whispering with Scarface about something or another. Mudblood Granger was avidly taking notes only taking a break every once in a while to contribute something to Weasley and Potters conversation. She listened to Potter before looking murderously down at her notes. Draco listened as hard as he could to what they were saying. He could only hear snatches of what Weasley was saying.

"Creevey had the nerve… I would have never… she reversed the charm…" Ahh… so they were talking about the Weaselette's little falling out with her pal.

Draco sighed. If the Dream Team was the most enthralling thing in the room, he was in trouble.

He glanced back at the window. He had to think of a way to get Ginny to talk to him about the Chamber. Although he didn't think she herself had opened it, she probably knew from her brother and his obvious involvement in it. He also needed to find out about his mother.

While there had always been questions in his mind as to how his mother had died, but it had never even crossed his mind until now that his father, his own father, might have killed her. He shivered at the thought. He had always looked up to his father, even more so since he had fooled the Ministry of Magic from locking him up in Azkaban twice. But now, all kinds of thoughts and memories invaded his mind. He recalled once his mother's face had been swollen and bruised but she refused to talk about it, only glancing at father. He decided to put off that issue until the Chamber secrets were revealed.

He would have to time charming her just right. He had often heard from Professor Snape that the Weaselette, however ludicrous it sounded, excelled at potions and would probably be doing the 6th/7th year joint project. If he and his partner, Looney Lovegood, did their potions work at the same time, he might be able to talk to her and gain her trust.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Lunch had been uneventful. Colin had ignored her, Ron and Harry had glared at him, and Hermione had alternated between trying to make her feel better and preventing Ron from trying to beat Colin up. It was all giving her a headache.

Classes were over for the day so she and Hermione were in the library finding information on the invisibility potion. The library was dusty and warm. Ginny read the spines of the books in the potions section. Potions: A Beginner's Guide, Prosperity Potions, and Potions: the Guide to Those Sticky Potions You Love were some of the titles.

Ginny glanced down at the list in her hand. It was the books with references to their potion. She found one of them and pulled it out, stacking it on top of the huge pile of books she had collected. She took a pen out of her sock and marked that one from her list.

"Done, finally." She muttered trying unsuccessfully not to drop the huge stack of dusty tomes.

"Here, let me help." She heard a silky voice behind her say. She jumped, dropping the few books that weren't already on the ground. She looked up. It was Malfoy, though she had known that already. Maybe he was punishing her for talking back to him in the kitchens!

"Err, no thanks. I have it." She said picking some of them up. He grabbed some anyway.

"Doesn't look like it to me." He replied. She eyed him warily. This was not the Malfoy she knew. Was he going to wait for her to let her guard down before attacking? He must have seen her suspicious look, for he continued.

"I won't bite. Hard." She rolled her eyes, muttering about Austin Powers.

"Who's that?" He asked, sounding truly confused.

"Muggle movie. It's funny." She answered offhandedly.

"Of course, because your family is _full_ of Mudblood lovers, isn't it?" He asked, sneering. Her blood began pumping faster and in her anger she felt herself grow stronger. She grabbed all of the books and spun on her heel before marching towards Hermione at the table.

* * *

DRACO'S POV

It was only by chance that Draco saw the Weaselette in the library. He was looking for information on the invisibility potion as well. He looked down one of the aisles, checking who was there. He didn't feel like having some first year Gryffindor staring at him and practically shaking in their shoes.

He saw the bright red curly hair of the Weasley and grinned a joyless, feral smile. He made his way towards her. She was humming softly. He didn't recognize the tune, but it fit her- sweet and innocent.

She grabbed a pen out of her sock. _That's strange. _He thought. She struggled with some heavy books. He crept slowly towards her.

"Here, let me help." He asked smoothly. She jumped, startled, and dropped her books. She glanced up at him.

"Err, no thanks. I have it." She replied stiffly picking up some of the tomes. He grabbed an armful.

"Doesn't look like it to me." She looked at him suspiciously and he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I won't bite. Hard." He added the last bit as kind of an afterthought. She had the nerve to roll her eyes at him. Then she started muttering something about someone named Austin Flowers, or Powers, or something.

"Who's that?" He asked, miffed and puzzled at her reaction.

"Muggle Movie. It's funny." She said struggling with the books. So of course he insulted her. Did she think he could let that lie?

"Of course, because your family is _full_ of Mudblood lovers, isn't it?" She stiffened, for she had relaxed a little over the last few minutes, and glared at him before easily grabbing all of the books and stomping away.

He stared after her, mentally cursing himself.

"Damnit!" He turned loudly before fleeing the library, a stormy look upon his face. This would be a major setback in his plan to win over her trust and get her to talk. And, Merlin forbid, he felt bad for insulting her. What was going on here? His job at Hogwarts was to make the Gryffindor's life miserable! He'd done so for years! So where was this new found conscience of his coming from?

He tried to get it off of his mind and stormed into the common room. Blaise Zabini was there, lounging comfortably on the couch.

"Malfoy." He greeted, nodding his head. If there was one person in this world he could call a friend, it was Blaise.

"Zabini." He replied trying desperately to shake off his bad mood.

"Your two goons were in here earlier looking for you." Blaise said, rolling his eyes, referring to Crabbe and Goyle. Draco didn't reply and sat down. Blaise looked at him curiously but didn't say anything. That was one of the perks of the Slytherin house. Nobody asked many questions and kept mostly to themselves, preferring not to have little Gryf heart to heart talks. Nobody told anyone what they were feeling, with only a few exceptions. That was dangerous. If you spill your fears, your housemates exploit it.

* * *

GINNY'S POV

Cold swear covered Ginny as she woke up, gasping for air. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was relieved to find she was in her dormitory. The tip of her wand was glowing softly at the end of her bed. Ever since the Chamber, she hadn't felt comfortable in the dark. She quietly unwound the comforter from her legs and peaked out of her curtains. Everyone else was sleeping, the only sound being the heavy breathing of one of the other girls in her room. She grabbed her wand and grabbed her night gown before heading down to the common room and then towards the kitchens.

She tried not to think of her nightmare, but little snippets of it kept invading her mind.

_Ginny opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark and she didn't know where she was. _What am I doing here? _She thought. _

"_Tom?" She whispered, standing up. _

"_Ahh, you're awake." A silky voice said. **His** voice. Although she knew he had been making her open the chamber and hurt those people, part of her couldn't- wouldn't- believe it. He loved her! He had said so, he wouldn't hurt her! Would he? He laughed and spoke as though he could read her mind. _Is he a Legimens?_ She asked herself._

"_Stupid girl. You just suited my needs. You told me all I needed to know. And for that, I thank you. Do you know who I am? Or, rather, who I become?" Tears had filled her eyes during his speech and threatened to spill over the sides. _

"_Why?" She asked quietly, holding back her tears with all her might. He gave a cold laugh._

"_I asked you a question, and I expect an answer, even from a lowly Mudblood lover as yourself. Now answer me like a good girl: Do you even know who I am? Have you figured it out yet?"_

"_Tom Riddle." She whispered shakily, "Tom Marvolo Riddle." As she said this, he whipped out his wand and summoned his diary. In it he wrote his name. With a flick of his wand, the words rearranged themselves into _**I am Lord Voldemort.**

"_No, no, no, no…" She chanted to herself, backing away. She tripped and landed on the ground. He laughed his mirthless laugh. Ginny took a good look at him. He was dressed in all black robes. He was almost see-through, like a ghost. His eyes flashed dangerously._

"_Oh, yes. And thank you very much for that interesting story about Harry Potter. I appreciate the information. If he really acts as _brave _and _wonderful_ as you say he does, he'll be down here soon. I'll be waiting."_

"_I'll tell him! I'll tell him everything. I—I will, you know! I'll tell him to run." She said panicky._

"_Oh, but Ginevra… in a few minutes you won't even have enough energy to lift a finger, let alone tell a young head-strong boy, Gryffindor at that, to leave his best friend's baby sister down here all alone in the dark. Poor, poor, little baby Ginny. She has a crush on the Boy- Who- Lived. He'll die. And it'll all be your fault. Of course, you'll die, too." Ginny tried to run, to get up, to get out, but she was growing weak. _Why is that?_ She lazily wondered. _

_Tom was growing darker, more solid. He was taking her life away! No, no, no, no, nonononononononono, the word repeating in her head over and over again. She had to distract him! To get him mad. Maybe he'd forget about Harry. Her mind wasn't working correctly, it seemed. Thoughts seemed to slow down and she was having trouble holding on to a single one. She was losing control of her mind. Get him mad, get him mad. What would get him the maddest?_

"_Mudblood." She whispered._

"_What?" He asked, the silky tone in his voice dropping instantly into a dangerous one._

"_You heard me. You're a Mudblood yourself." He was next to her in a second, his hand flying towards her face at an incredible speed—_

* * *

End of chapter, folks! I know, a cliffie of sorts.

Hope you enjoyed, this has been my favorite chapter to write so far.

REVIEW!

Liv


	4. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hey guys. Sorry, but I doubt I'll be updating soon. I live… or lived in New Orleans. So, as you probably know, my house… my town… is screwed up right now. I have my fanfic folder, so I CAN write, I just doubt I will. BUT HAVE FAITH! I WILL finish this story. And hopefully I'll start writing again before I go back home, but until I update again, I LOVE YALL! You are the greatest ficcers in the world! Bye!

-Liv


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